Hospice
Correcting the misperception of palliative care
Compared to other medical subspecialties, palliative care is relatively young, but it has grown substantially in the last 20 years. As of 2019, 71.5% of US hospitals with more than 50 beds have a palliative care program, compared to just 7.0% in 2001 (Morrison & Meier, 2019). More recently, palliative care outside of the hospital […]
Read MoreStroke patients may benefit from palliative care
Carolina Caring, a serious illness provider and hospice agency serving parts of western North Carolina, recently shared information on how stroke patients may benefit from receiving palliative care: Understanding stroke The brain is the most powerful organ in our bodies, and when it’s damaged due to lack of oxygen or blood, a stroke may occur. […]
Read MoreThe Biggest Barriers to Hospice Recruiting
As hospices sweat over recruitment and retention, many say that competition on wages and benefits is the leading barrier, as well as widespread misperceptions of their services. Their employees, however, also cite burnout and the lack of flexibility of a career path as reasons they may leave the field. A majority of hospices who responded […]
Read MoreHow Does the Workforce Shortage Affect Hospice M&A?
The labor pressures in the hospice community are straining clinical operations, but the issue is also becoming a more pressing concern when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. Buyers, in fact, are paying much closer attention to workplace culture and human resources as they select acquisition targets. Hospice M&A has been exploding in recent years […]
Read MoreSurvey: 13% of Medicare Advantage claims, prior authorization requests denied
A recent survey of Medicare Advantage enrollees found 13% had a claim or pre-authorization request denied as the program has gotten scrutiny over its prior authorization practices. The survey, released Monday by the online insurance marketplace eHealth, also found that 67% of respondents chose MA over Medigap due to concerns over its affordability. The MA […]
Read MoreHospices, Health Systems Expand Pediatric Palliative Care, Hit Staffing Barriers
A contingent of health care providers across the country are making new investments in pediatric palliative care, but building these programs is no easy feat. Many hit obstacles such as a dwindling workforce, limited access to training and a generally poor understanding of children’s specific needs. Though a rising number of hospices and other providers have taken […]
Read MoreFlurry of immigration legislation would reduce hiring barriers
Immigrants looking to work in the long-term care industry would see some barriers lowered, including costs and licensing requirements, under a trio of recently introduced House bills. The proposals were introduced Thursday by Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and are designed to bring more workers into the healthcare industry amid a severe […]
Read MoreVersion 3.3 of the HHS Security Risk Assessment Tool Now Available
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released version 3.3 of the popular HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool (https://www.healthit.gov/topic/privacy-security-and-hipaa/security-risk-assessment-tool). This tool is designed to aid small and medium sized health care organizations in […]
Read MoreHealth Care Orgs Face Liability If End-of-Life Wishes Not Upheld
One of the defining principles of hospice care is honoring the wishes of terminally ill patients. Now, with increasing frequency, a health care provider’s failure to honor those directives can lead to litigation or penalties by regulators. These issues come into play when a health care provider does not adhere to a patients’ advance care […]
Read MoreCare Coordination Key to Hospices’ Success in Value-Based Care
Seriously ill patients can easily fall through the cracks in a fragmented health care system, leading to poorer outcomes and costly hospital stays and emergency department visits. Closing these gaps is a rising priority in payment model demonstrations by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Hospices must build a continuum of services to […]
Read MoreUS Senators Call on CMS to Boost Palliative Care Resources
A bipartisan group of nine U.S. Senators have written to U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, calling for a payment model demonstration designed to support greater access to palliative care. The lawmakers urged the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a dedicated community-based palliative care benefit, which […]
Read MoreHospice Physicians ‘Incredibly Important’ to Audit Appeals Process, Patient Eligibility
Patient eligibility is a frequent focus of hospice audits, but it can be a challenging point for providers to prove. With that in mind, providers should proactively prepare for patient-eligibility questions, especially as government watchdogs crack down on bad actors. Aside from strong documentation, insight from hospice physicians around patient conditions is a key defense […]
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